


Recording

by Halvwyn



Series: Life of the Party Ficlets and Fics [12]
Category: Life of the Party D&D (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, M/M, Modern Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:21:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23482339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Halvwyn/pseuds/Halvwyn
Summary: A soft mumbling drew Cassian’s attention away from the blouse in his lap and towards the bed. Leaning over to next to Vanden’s bed, he hit the call button before settling back in his seat, carefully watching as Vanden finally stirred. It wasn’t long until the tech was back in the room, bearing a small cup of water and speaking softly with the still-groggy ginger.“...Can I ask you a question?” Vanden mumbled, staring at the young woman while he waited for an answer.“Of course, your highness.”Vanden’s eyes slid to where Cassian still sat, watching the scene in amusement, as his voice dropped to a stage whisper, “Why is there such a pretty man in my room?”
Relationships: Cassian/Renard (Life of the Party)
Series: Life of the Party Ficlets and Fics [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1681585
Comments: 2
Kudos: 39





	Recording

**Author's Note:**

> Hello lovelies!   
> A quickly written fluffy piece based on this prompt: Y'all know the video of the guy waking up from anesthesia and not remembering his wife, so he flirted aggressively with her? Modern au where Cassian agreed to be there when Vanden wakes up. He was not prepared for a freshly-out-of-sedation Vanden's first words to be "why is there such a pretty man in my room?"

Not for the first time that day, Cassian wondered how he’d ended up roped into accompanying Vanden to getting his wisdom teeth removed. Astra or Boblem certainly would have been friendlier faces, but he had  _ somehow  _ found himself sitting in an overly stiff armchair, embroidering a blouse for a client while waiting for the prince to sleep off the last of his sedation. 

A soft mumbling drew Cassian’s attention away from the blouse in his lap and towards the bed. Leaning over to next to Vanden’s bed, he hit the call button before settling back in his seat, carefully watching as Vanden finally stirred. It wasn’t long until the tech was back in the room, bearing a small cup of water and speaking softly with the still-groggy ginger.

“...Can I ask you a question?” Vanden mumbled, staring at the young woman while he waited for an answer.

“Of course, your highness.”

Vanden’s eyes slid to where Cassian still sat, watching the scene in amusement, as his voice dropped to a stage whisper, “Why is there such a pretty man in my room?”

Both Cassian and the tech blinked in surprise, the young woman looking to Cassian for an answer. For a long moment, silence filled the room before the elf caught sight of his cellphone on the arm of his chair and grinned. Reaching for his phone, Cassian switched on the camera with ease before giving Vanden a soft smile as he grumbled with impatience, “Well, darling, of course I would be here when you woke up, given we have been dating for months now,.”

Vanden stared at Cassian wide-eyed as the tech made a desperate escape, leaving the pair alone in the room. Setting his work aside, Cassian took the few steps between his seat and Vanden, perching lightly on the edge of his bed before gently brushing a few stray hairs from his face. Vanden’s brow furrowed as he stared up at Cassian, “We’re....together?” he smiled as best he could around the gauze filling his cheek as Cassian nodded, laughter barely kept in check, “How did I get to be with someone like you?”

“Well, you of all people should know I like pretty things,” he answered, voice low, before mentally cringing.  _ Too close to home, Thiarin. This is a chance for blackmail, not middle-school love confessions.  _ His attention was yanked back from his thoughts, however, by the sound of Vanden all but cackling, tears welling up in his eyes as a hand came to press against his cheek. It was a long moment before the ginger was able to pull himself back together, laughter interspersed with whimpers as they finally died off.

Cassian shook his head in amusement, glancing down to make sure that his phone had, in fact, been recording, before Vanden spoke up again, “We must be  _ really  _ in love if you think  _ I’m  _ pretty,” he murmured, eyes drifting closed before snapping awake in panic “Have we  _ said  _ that yet?” 

“No, darling, we haven’t,” Cassian managed to force out, momentarily congratulating himself on keeping his voice steady, “but we can talk about that once we get you home.” Closing the camera and returning his things to his bag, Cassian took a moment to wonder just what he’d gotten himself into.

* * *

The car ride back to the palace felt like limbo. Vanden was blissfully quiet, leaving Cassian to sort out his thoughts on whether his ploy had fully backfired on him, or if he could salvage the situation with his pride intact and feelings kept safely at bay. Said thoughts were never able to stay focused for long, however, as the prince dozed off with his head on Cassian’s shoulder, lips parted slightly as he pressed against his side as best he could.

Despite himself, Cassian sighed with relief as the car finally stopped moving. He would get Vanden to his rooms, settle him in, and make his leave. The video he captured would be plenty to hold over Vanden’s head down the road. What he hadn’t expected, as he helped Vanden to his room, was for the man to have so many  _ questions.  _ “Darling....we call each other that, right?” he mumbled into the crook of Cassian’s neck as the elf leaned him against his bed.

Cassian hums, firmly ignoring the feeling in his chest as Vanden echoed the pet name he himself had used earlier. “Sometimes,” he answers briefly, “now lay down before you fall asleep on top of me.” 

Vanden grumbled softly, moving only enough to see Cassian’s face, “Do we kiss? I think I’d like kissing you.”

“Once and once only,” Cassian murmured, hesitating before gently pushing Vanden by the shoulders back onto the bed. He  _ wouldn’t  _ let himself think of that particular memory, not now, “now  _ lay down.” _

This time, Vanden went with ease, face thoughtful, “I think...once my mouth doesn’t hurt, I’d like to kiss you more. Could I?” Cassian stilled at the question, breath momentarily caught in his throat. 

“If you remember this conversation in the morning, we can talk about it,” he managed after a long moment, and sighed when Vanden seemed to accept the conditions with good grace, shifting himself to lay more comfortably against his pillows. Assured that Vanden was finally settled, Cassian stepped back from the bed, grabbing his bag and murmuring a brief “rest well” before making his way out the door.

When he finally made it home, he dug out his phone, assuring the group chat that Vanden had not, in fact, been killed by either the tooth removal nor Cassian himself before turning it off and throwing himself into his work, desperate for a distraction from the day’s events. He couldn't bring himself to watch the video.

* * *

He had expected Vanden to be angrier, when he sent him the video a week later. Had been prepared to take comfort in the familiarity of what he had been sure would be an argument for the history books. Cassian told himself he’d waited to send the video to make sure Vanden would be well enough for a proper fight, that he absolutely had  _ not  _ considered deleting the video in its entirety. He told himself that the glances and strange looks he had caught Vanden giving him in the week since the spectacle didn’t have him on tenterhooks.

Cassian  _ hadn’t  _ expected to get the simple reply of  _ come by  _ in response, nor did he expect Vanden to look almost  _ sheepish  _ once he arrived. “So, you saw the video,” Cassian said in lieu of greeting. The rug had been pulled out from under his feet when he received Vanden’s text, and he was happy to return the favor now that they were in person.

“I did,” he conceded with a slight nod. There was a tense silence in the room, one that Cassian hadn’t prepared for, as the men watched each other from across Vanden’s private living space. Cassian moved across the room after a long moment, sliding into an armchair across from the other man and determined to  _ not  _ fidget as he stared Vanden down. 

Cassian’s voice cut through the silence after another long moment, “Well? Did you invite me here just to stare?” he teased, relieved to find his voice steady and unaffected, “Because though I know I am quite nice to look at, I am a busy man, Vanden.”

“I remember,” Vanden blurted instead of answering Cassian’s questions, the other man’s eyes snapping to his, “not....not what happened in the video, but after the drive home, I remember our conversation.” 

“Well, I assure you that though I unfortunately did  _ not  _ capture that moment of film. I will happily, however, hear-”

“I’d like to have that conversation, now.” If he hadn’t been so caught off guard, Cassian would have found great pleasure into how rapidly Vanden’s face was flushing, wouldn’t have let out a startled sound at the words. But he was, and instead found himself fighting for some semblance of control of his reaction before Vanden continued, “assuming that option  _ is  _ on the table.”

Pulling on the few remaining strands he had of self-control, Cassian leaned forward, elbows coming to rest on his knees. With a confidence he didn’t feel, he all but purred, “I could certainly be amenable to that. But you should know, my dear prince, I am playing for keeps.”


End file.
